A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    A+
  2. Value
    A+
  3. Diversity
    A
  4. Campus
    B+
  5. Athletics
    B-
  6. Party Scene
    B+
  7. Professors
    A+
  8. Location
    B-
  9. Dorms
    A-
  10. Campus Food
    A+
  11. Student Life
    A
  12. Safety
    C+
View Full Report Card
Claremont McKenna College is ...
Private not-for-profit
Athletic Division
NCAA Division III (with football)
Athletic Conference
Southern California Intercoll Athletic Conference
Address
500 E 9th St
Claremont, CA 91711
Website
cmc.edu

Claremont McKenna College Rankings

Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

Admissions

Acceptance Rate
11%
SAT Range
1340-1530
ACT Range
29-33
Application Fee
$70
SAT/ACT
Required
High School GPA
Recommended
Will You Get In?

Test Scores and GPA for Claremont McKenna College

Cost

Net Price
$29,894/ year
National
$15,403
Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Net Price by Household Income
  • <$30k
    $8,634/ year
  • $30-48k
    $7,701/ year
  • $49-75k
    $16,705/ year
  • $76-110k
    $27,850/ year
  • $110k+
    $36,704/ year

Academics

Professors
A+
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
8:1
Evening Degree Programs
No
96%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.26 responses
81%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.26 responses
68%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.25 responses

Majors

Most Popular Majors
  • Economics
    91 Graduates
  • Political Science and Government
    39 Graduates
  • International Relations and National Security Studies
    33 Graduates
  • Psychology
    32 Graduates
  • Accounting
    24 Graduates
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities
    22 Graduates
  • Philosophy
    20 Graduates
  • Biology
    14 Graduates
  • Mathematics & Statistics
    12 Graduates
  • History
    11 Graduates

Students

Full-Time Enrollment
1,327Undergrads
Undergrads Over 25
1%
Pell Grant
10%
Varsity Athletes
35%
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
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Campus Life

Freshmen Live On-Campus
100%
Poll
95%
of students say they don't have Greek life.22 responses
Poll
59%
of students say varsity sporting events are attended, but not a huge part of campus life.32 responses
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes your school?
Based on 9 responses
Report
  • Econ Majors
    56%
  • Go-getters
    22%
  • Bros and valedictorians
    11%
  • Super rich kids
    11%

After College

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$63,600/ year
National
$33,028
Graduation Rate
92%
National
48%
Employed 2 Years After Graduation
92%
National
83%
70%
of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation.10 responses
Colleges like Claremont McKenna College
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Claremont McKenna College Reviews

404 reviews
All Categories
I loved taking the summer course called High School Leadership and Communication. It made me more interested in going to this school, and I love how well-organized the program was. I love their philosophy on leadership. It really encourages others to become leaders in their community. Go CMC!
Review Claremont McKenna College
I've had some great classes and experiences at CMC, and a few that weren't so great. Anyone coming to CMC should be aware that the social scene is pretty centered on alcohol and partying (though there is a substance free dorm with a strong culture, and a surprisingly high number of people who don't drink/go out). Thankfully, the parties are on campus, hosted by the student government, and open to everyone. There isn't a whole lot of the sketchiness or exclusivity that usually comes with frat parties at larger schools, since parties are open to everyone. I see this as a huge benefit of the school, though I no longer regularly attend parties.

It's really easy to get involved in things you're interested in, whether that's student government, a club, or research. Research opportunities are probably more available for Econ majors than others, and in the sciences/engineering you won't have the same kind of research experiences you would at a school that has real researchers.

We have some great professors here. Philosophy is by far the best, and there are some excellent professors in probably all of our other departments as well. In my opinion as someone majoring in both, our government and economics departments aren't deserving of the reputations they have. I wouldn't come here looking to study science, engineering, or pre-med, unless I'm also really interested in studying the humanities/social sciences. Classwork is generally reasonable, though challenging. People are motivated, but not super competitive with each other or stressed out, which is great.

Many CMC students are smart, motivated, and interested in their academic subjects. Others are more interested in partying. Many are a mix of both. People are not particularly artsy or creative; if you are, you might feel that side of yourself slipping away over your four years here (though we're getting better and now have a dedicated music space on campus). It can feel small after 4 years, but overall great!
Our varsity sports teams are not all amazing, but participation in athletics is very common at this school. Many CMCers are student-athletes, but generally, academics are above and beyond more important to these students. Sporting events are attended and are fun, but I would compare them more to high school games than college events. While not everyone attends sporting events and some do not participate in varsity or club sports, intramural sports are popular and effortless to get involved with. Overall, school spirit here is about much more than sports team pride. Sco stags and athenas!